[SteveX]

What rules? A company? An ils is an ils surely! If I don't pop out at 250ft at x on the ils then why would an alternate with an ils and cloud base of 350 not be ok! Asking for 450ft plus an extra 1000m viz is limiting your option to ever come back to Earth on that day!

[malcolmfrost]

The Public Transport rules, the idea being that by the time you get to your alternate you have 30 min of fuel left, so you need a much better level of confidence that you will be able to land.
The rules have always required that the Alternate minima are stepped up from the lowest available, ie if Cat 3 is available then Cat 1 is used etc.
Applying something similar to IR(R) operations seems sensible to me.

[foxmoth]

Not quite the case, those are planning minima, once you are airborne you use what you have, so if you get to destination with cat1 only and the wx is out then there is nothing to stop you then using normal Cat 1 on the diversion.
Similarly, if you are cat3 and there is an airfield equipment failure then you could get to your diversion and use a cat3 approach.

[Josh]

This is true, but operating right to those margins regularly is a recipe for early grey hair. Legal it may be, but however much gas in the the tank, fun it is not.

[Flyin'Dutch']

What rules? A company? An ils is an ils surely! If I don't pop out at 250ft at x on the ils then why would an alternate with an ils and cloud base of 350 not be ok! Asking for 450ft plus an extra 1000m viz is limiting your option to ever come back to Earth on that day!

Maybe there are days that well intending amateurs are better off by not committing to aviation?

I certainly have done so on many occasions where it might have been perfectly within the privileges of my license, ratings and airplane capabilities.

[SteveX]

Yep I'll stay home with a 249ft base. Other than that I'll keep regularly current by using my ratings to full ability and legality. That way Im happy when it's 250ft base!!!

[foxmoth]

This is true, but operating right to those margins regularly is a recipe for early grey hair.

Which is why I said

you need to know the weather there is going to be better than that 800' minima, if not then you picked the wrong alternate!

It could well be that you are flying to an airfield with an ILS and a 500' forecast cloudbase, your alternate has only an NDB, If your minima there is 800 ' and the FORECAST is 800' then you should look elsewhere, but if the forecast is say 1200' then that should be ok, if the base then goes down to 900' or lower there is nothing to then stop you flying the approach down to your 800' minima - though of course you should be monitoring this during the flight and is where airmanship comes in as to whether you need to change your plans. A good example of this might be a coastal destination which fogs out and your alternate is inland.

[Ben]

Simon cgi.

You fly 'N' Reg. aircraft. The FAA rules do not allow for IR(R) or IMC rating, you either VFR or IFR and for IFR you must have IR, IR(R) is not enough, therefore you can't fly any approach to ant minima legally. At least this is my understanding of the rules.

Have fun.

[mm_flynn]

I am pretty sure there exist a formal response from the FAA legal department that, if the UK has some rating that lets you got under IFR that is not an ICAO IR, the FAA is happy for an Nreg to be operated under IFR in the UK using that rating, so long as the UK is happy with the pilot using that rating in a non G reg aircraft

[foxmoth]

Simon cgi.

You fly 'N' Reg. aircraft. The FAA rules do not allow for IR(R) or IMC rating, you either VFR or IFR and for IFR you must have IR, IR(R) is not enough, therefore you can't fly any approach to ant minima legally. At least this is my understanding of the rules.

Have fun.

Not sure where he stands when flying an N reg and I think you may well be correct when he is doing that, but irrespective of that he has a UK licence (because he has renewed a UK rating) so he CAN be flying a G reg so the initial question is still relevant.

[riverrock]

UK Licence, IMC Rating, N-Reg aircraft within the UK are fine.
FAA says 2 things. You can fly N-Reg using a local licence (FAR 61.3.a.1) and you can fly in IMC if you have an "appropriate" rating (FAR 61.3.e.1).
FAA have previously said to people that they have no issue with the IMC rating use within the UK.

[foxmoth]

FAA have previously said to people that they have no issue with the IMC rating use within the UK.

And the CAA stance on this is??

[riverrock]

equally happy for people to use the ratings in their licence.

[SteveC]

equally happy for people to use the ratings in their licence.

Evidence of this?

[riverrock]

Firstly, no rules against it - anything not prohibited is allowed.
Beyond this, evidence is from others, as the CAA has said in private correspondence to a few people.
See http://www.peter2000.co.uk/aviation/mis ... index.html as an example. I seem to remember there are a few other examples that people have put online. Anyway - why the CAA be unhappy with someone using their IMC (or IR(r) ) rating within the UK?